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Safer highways
We need safe roads and safe travel. :People are getting run over by autos as they walk, even in crosswalks, to cross the street. Background * Planks on Roads, Streets and Highways from Mark Rauterkus Bridges groan under weight, costs 4 of 10 state spans are obsolete, deficient http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1135678807324020.xml&coll=1 Tuesday, December 27, 2005 BY FRANK COZZOLI, Of The Patriot-News In August, one of the iron truss spans that carry Dellville Road over Shermans Creek in Perry County collapsed under an overweight dump truck. Two months later, a truck hauling a load of lime in Crawford County broke through the decking on a 111-year-old bridge over Conneaut Creek. A one-lane bridge that has spanned the Swatara Creek in Inwood, Lebanon County, since 1899 soon will meet the wrecking ball. The bridge's 5-ton weight limit precludes fire trucks from crossing it and fails to meet safety standards. Across Pennsylvania, time, the elements and the demands of increased traffic have converged to create the precarious condition of aging and outdated state-owned bridges. Four out of every 10 of those bridges are classified structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. The state owns and maintains about 25,000 bridges. Six thousand others are owned by counties and municipalities. Some of the state's bridges are rusting. Others have crumbling concrete. Still others are so antiquated that their single-lane spans have low overhead clearance. About 25 percent of state-owned bridges show significant deterioration to their decking, piers or other integral parts, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Eighteen percent are old and don't meet modern design standards. In the midstate, 29 state bridges have posted weight limits of 15 tons or less. Statewide, 249 have that limit. Engineers have lowered weight limits on more than 700 bridges and closed 50 of them. A fully loaded 72-passenger school bus can weigh up to 30,000 pounds, or 15 tons. Some bridges cannot accommodate any type of bus. Insights Media More Objects Thrown At Cars On Parkway West * http://kdka.com/local/local_story_052181129.html (KDKA) GREEN TREE Police say someone is playing a dangerous game on the Parkway West and they want to put the brakes on it. At least four drivers have been targeted so far by someone throwing objects at moving vehicles. 'Pittsburgh left' Joe Gratta's column, "Intersection was third culprit in Big Ben's mishap," drew reactions. "... the city and region had done little to improve dangerous intersections such as Second Avenue-10th Street Bridge-Armstrong Tunnel, where the Steelers almost lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger when a driver turned into the path of his motorcycle." Trailers Patrols find many trailers improperly secured Wednesday, October 11, 2006 By Torsten Ove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Prompted by a traffic accident on Route 8 that killed a father and two of his triplets, the district attorney's first vehicle inspection task force yesterday roamed the North Hills and cited all 66 vehicles police stopped for various violations in how their loads were secured or other safety offenses. District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. and T. Robert Amann, chief of police for the Northern Regional Police Department, said 16 patrol cars spent six hours yesterday pulling over vehicles of all types on Route 19, McKnight Road, Route 910 and Babcock Boulevard. The idea of the roving task force is to crack down on vehicle violations that could cause another accident like the one on April 13, when an industrial wood-chipper broke loose from a truck and hit a vehicle, killing Spencer Morrison of Cranberry and two of his 4-year-old children, Alaina and Garret. An investigation determined the truck operator had not properly hooked up safety chains. Police had previously announced they would be conducting the spot checks, but Mr. Zappala said he was surprised by how many truckers and vehicle owners "just don't get it." Police issued 47 warnings. Among the 66 citations issued, 25 were for improper securing of a load, the type of offense that Mr. Zappala said caused the Route 8 crash. "We don't want to see that again," he said. "We're going to keep doing this." The next roving sweep will be on Route 8 at the end of the month. Links * Teen Drivers * Drunk driving * Seat belts * Senior Drivers * Joel Tarr, CMU Prof * Safer highways elsewhere Media Texting-while-driving ban gains ground in PA Local Rep. Eugene DePasquale's bill has gained some important co-sponsors and support. :By RICHARD FELLINGER, York Daily Record, Aug 15, 2007 http://www.ydr.com/newsfull/ci_6628148 With his wife and two children in the car, Rep. Eugene DePasquale was multitasking recently when his wife, Tracey, told him to concentrate on the road. He had been driving and text messaging at the same time. "It dawned on me, 'Boy this is really dangerous,'" DePasquale recalled. The West Manchester Township Democrat said he later researched the issue, saw other states were considering bills to prohibit text messaging while driving, and decided to author a proposal for a ban in Pennsylvania. DePasquale's bill calls for $100 fines for those who use a wireless communications device to send or read text messages while driving. Introduced in June 2007, the bill now has 33 co-sponsors, and DePasquale said it's gaining momentum. Key co-sponsors include House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, D-Greene, and Deputy Speaker Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery. Rep. Dan Moul, R-Conewago Township, Adams County, is also a co-sponsor. While Pennsylvania still allows talking on a cell phone while driving, DePasquale said text messaging poses more serious safety issues. "If you are typing a message on a Blackberry, you are not even looking at the road," said DePasquale, who also backs a cell-phone ban for drivers. At least one lawmaker who opposes a cell-phone ban for drivers agrees. Rep. Ron Miller, R-Jacobus, who sits on the House Transportation Committee, has opposed bills to ban cell phones for drivers but sees text-messaging devices differently. "Normally, when you're text messaging, even if you're a good typist you need to use two hands," Miller said. The state of Washington recently became the first to enact a law banning text messaging while driving, according to DePasquale. Bans are also being considered in New Jersey, Connecticut and Arizona. DePasquale cited a recent study by Nationwide Insurance that reported one in five people use text-messaging devices while driving. One in three drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 uses them. DePasquale's bill allows exceptions for drivers reporting an accident or emergency, and for on-duty law-enforcement officers and other emergency personnel. Even if DePasquale's bill has momentum, Miller said it will be hard for it to pass on its own because transportation bills are closely watched and tend to get bogged down with unrelated amendments. The plan may stand a better chance as an amendment to an omnibus transportation bill that has the backing of legislative leaders, Miller said. DETAILS Rep. Eugene DePasquale's bill, which has 33 co-sponsors, would: * Ban sending or reading text messages while driving * Set a $100 fine for violators * Allow exceptions for those reporting accidents and for on-duty emergency personnel * kdka.com - City Hopes To Give Traffic System A 'Green Light' by Andy Sheehan PITTSBURGH Do you ever sit in downtown traffic and think to yourself: 'There has to be a better way.' * As Trucking Rules Are Eased, a Debate on Safety Intensifies By Stephen Labaton 03 Dec 2006 ...In loosening the standards, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was fulfilling President sic Bush�s broader pledge to free industry of what it considered cumbersome rules. In the last six years, the White House has embarked on the boldest strategy of deregulation in more than a generation. Largely unchecked by the Republican-led Congress, federal agencies, often led by former industry officials, have methodically reduced what they see as inefficient, outdated regulations and have delayed enforcement of others. * Making the Highways Less Safe (The New York Times) 10 Dec 2006 To describe the Bush administration�s policy toward the trucking industry as deregulation is farcical. The word empowerment is so much more fitting for the array of trucking executives the White House appointed to be the ranking regulators of their own industry. While avowing professionalism, this cadre of political contributors and industry insiders has brazenly relaxed federal standards for truck safety over the last six years.